Perfect Draft Keg Tips? The 128 Correct Answer

How long does a barrel last? You will be surprised by the answer

No party without a fresh beer keg.

I was very concerned to find that my own barrel had been tapped a month ago. Although it was mostly full, I didn’t want to serve my guests a stale beer. I debated whether to drink it or just open a new one. But I couldn’t allow such a waste of delicious beer, so I decided to research a bit more until I finally found the answer.

How long does a barrel last? In general, a keg can last up to 2-4 months when stored in the right conditions, although a variety of factors affect the shelf life of your keg, including pump type, storage temperature, and beer style.

Luckily my keg was fine – and the party was a success!

In this guide, I’ll dive into the science behind cask storage and examine the various factors that affect the shelf life of your cask.

Read on to find out more!

Why storage temperature matters

Let’s start by examining an important topic: storage temperature.

While it doesn’t seem that important at first (after all, you can always refrigerate it later, right?), storage temperature is one of the most important factors affecting the freshness of your beer.

You should not store your beer in temperatures that are too hot or too cold, as both can have a negative impact on the quality of your beer.

Specifically, you can expect the following:

When your beer is too hot

Storing your beer in temperatures of at least 50 degrees Fahrenheit can speed up the oxidation process, gradually altering the chemical composition of your beer, leading to staleness.

But it’s not just that. Storing it in these conditions can even allow bacteria to build up in your keg, severely affecting the flavor and overall quality of your beer.

When your beer is too cold

So we know that storing your beer at temperatures that are too high is an absolute no-no.

But what happens if your beer is stored too cold? While you’ll want to store your keg in a cold, dark place, it can freeze at a temperature of 28 degrees Fahrenheit or below.

Frozen barrels can even rupture due to carbon expansion inside.

According to science, the right storage temperature for your keg is 38 degrees Fahrenheit – or 3.3°C.

Make sure you keep your keg stored at around this temperature if you want a beer that will stay fresh for months.

How do you know when a keg is going bad?

With all this, how do you know when a keg of beer is going bad? Let’s take a look at a few common signs that your beer is past its prime:

Bad taste

The most obvious warning sign of a bad keg is bad taste.

Your beer can be unnaturally sweet and taste like ripe apples or other fruits. Conversely, it can also taste like sulphur. However, that odd (and potentially foul) taste can let you know right away that your keg is no longer good.

Hazy appearance

You might not have to taste your beer to know it’s bad.

Beer from a stale keg often has a cloudy appearance. If your beer is unusually cloudy or foamy, that’s a sign it’s no longer good.

NOTE: A little foam is fine – especially if you’re using a manual pump -.

However, you should think about beer, which seems far too “sparkling”.

Bad smell

A keg that has stayed past its welcome can also smell bad.

Much like a bad taste, this smell can be sulfurous or overly sweet. Simply put, it won’t smell like the beer you know and love. While drinking stale beer won’t necessarily harm you, it won’t taste good either, and won’t do you any favors at your next party.

Can a keg be tapped twice?

If you’re like most of us, you can’t down a keg of beer in one sitting — even when you’re surrounded by some of your rowdiest friends. Of course you want to know if you can tap your keg twice. The good news is that you can tap a keg twice – with some restrictions, of course.

Unfortunately, if you use a hand or O2 pump, you only get one tap from your keg.

However, if you are using a CO2 pump you should be able to tap your keg at will as you are not introducing any extraneous gases into the keg that already comes with CO2.

That being said, it doesn’t matter if you don’t store your keg properly, so make sure you follow all the steps of the storage and tapping process if you want to get the most out of your beer.

Keg Durability: Manual Pumps vs. CO2

With all that said, let’s turn our attention to another important issue when it comes to your keg: pump style.

In general, there are two main types of keg pumps: manual pumps and those that run on CO2. You may not have given it much thought, but the type of pump you use could affect the life of your keg (and the quality of your beer).

What is the difference? Let’s take a look:

Manual pump

If you’ve ever taken a keg to a party, chances are you’ve used a manual pump. Manual pump kegs work by pumping oxygen into your keg, which forces the beer out and into your glass. This is a very effective method of dispensing alcohol, but it doesn’t do much to keep your beer fresh.

Here’s why: once oxygen is introduced into your beer, the oxidation process reaches a rapid rate. Manual pump barrels can therefore age in as little as eight hours.

As such, you don’t want to use any of these pumps if you plan to store your keg long-term.

CO2 pump

A CO2 pump works similarly, applying pressure to push the beer out of the keg.

However, unlike manual pumps, CO2 pumps do not use oxygen. Instead, they work with carbon dioxide, which keeps your beer fresher for longer.

With a CO2 pump, your keg can last for months even after it’s been tapped!

Of course, there are other considerations to keep in mind, so read on to ensure your beer stays as fresh as possible.

3 practical tips to keep your keg fresh

We’ve touched on this a bit already, but it’s worth revisiting. If you want your beer to last, you need to keep your keg fresh.

Let’s go through some of the most effective ways to do this:

#1 Buy it fresh

The first step to a long-lasting keg is to purchase a freshly brewed keg. If you buy a keg that is already approaching its sell-by date, you will have a lot less time with it.

REMEMBER: The best before date is not the same as an expiration date, which can be months after the beer is poured if you follow proper storage instructions.

#2 Store properly

Which leads me to my next point: you need to store your keg properly to make it last.

Ideally in a cool and dark place as both heat and light will damage the quality of the alcohol in the cask. That also means keeping the right amount of pressure on your kegerator. Too little pressure can result in excessively foaming and stale beer, too much pressure can result in waste as the beer shoots out of the keg too quickly and also becomes foamy.

The amount of pressure you need to apply to your kegerator will differ depending on the type of beer you are using, but for most standard ales and lagers you should keep the machine anywhere between 10 and 12 PSI.

#3 Use the right pump

After all, you want to use the right pump. As previously mentioned, if you want to maximize the durability of your keg, CO2 pumps are the way to go.

Differences in shelf life depending on the type of beer

In a way, the shelf life of your beer has nothing to do with the keg itself. You should also pay attention to the contents of your keg.

Remember that different beers have different shelf lives.

A good rule of thumb is that the higher the alcohol content, the longer the beer will keep.

Still, even regular beers and lagers can last up to four months – not too shabby if you ask me.

Broadly speaking, the shelf life of your draft beer depends on whether it is:

Pasteurized beer

Pasteurized beer, or beer that has been treated against harmful microorganisms, has the longest shelf life of any draft beer, lasting anywhere from 90 to 120 days (3-4 months) in total.

Unpasteurized beer

Assuming proper storage conditions, unpasteurized beer, or beer that has not been treated prior to packaging, will last anywhere from 45 to 60 days (or 6 to 8 weeks) overall.

Remember: this timeline starts before you tap it.

Final Thoughts

By now you should have a good idea of ​​whether the cask in your cellar is good or bad. By following the right protocols, you can add months to the life of your kegs – saving you money and ensuring you’re always enjoying the life of the party.

If you’re looking to buy a keg in the near future, make sure you use this guide as the ultimate reference for both storage and tapping!

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At a Glance Expert Rating Our Verdict If you want to enjoy draft beer at home with minimal fuss, then the Philips Perfect Draft is for you. The machine is easy to use and has a practical LCD screen. There is quite a large selection of beers that will satisfy the taste buds of most drinkers.

There aren’t many beer gadgets out there, but the Philips Perfect Draft brings draft beer to your home with minimal fuss. Here’s our full review.

Price

The Perfect Draft is available from Amazon, but much better in specialist shops. You can get it cheaper than the £249 unit price if you buy it from Beer Hawk, which supplied our test sample.

There are various bundles that come with a keg and you can get 10% off your first order if you also sign up for the newsletter. It’s quite expensive, but it’s not like a phone that you’ll want to upgrade every few years.

Kegs range from £29.90 to £41.90, which for 6 liters isn’t exactly the best price per liter for beer, but you’re shopping into tech here. However, there is a £5 deposit fee for each keg, so you can send it back and get credit to spend on the next keg (or other things if you wish).

Beer Hawk also offers a multi-buy deal so you can save 10% if you buy 3 kegs or 15% if you take 6.

There’s now a PerfectDraft Pro to buy with adjustable temperature, connected app, and more.

Design & Build

There are a few pieces to put together to build the Perfect Draft, but it’s easy enough and the instructions are clear. Learning how to fill a keg for the first time might seem a little daunting, but it’s easy enough.

The instructions aren’t quite as clear for this, but you can watch Beer Hawk’s videos, which make it a lot easier to understand.

Once the keg is in, you may have to wait a long time for the beer to be cold enough to pour and drink. Our suggestion is to set everything up right away, as the kegs are usually pretty cold when they’re in a courier’s van.

If you want one for a party, don’t leave it until the same day as it can take up to 15 hours for the keg to cool down to three degrees Celsius. Our other tip is to leave the keg outside overnight (in the cooler months of course) and then pop it in the machine in the morning. You can also use your fridge if there is space.

The Perfect Draft machine is a combination of plastic and metal. It doesn’t feel cheap, but neither is it the most luxurious machine out there. It’s quite bulky, so you’ll need to take that into account if you plan on letting it sit in the kitchen. It’s larger than most coffee makers for comparison.

It’s worth noting that you don’t have to worry too much about cleaning the lines as each keg comes with a new connector. One weird thing is the way the instructions told us to choose a magnetic cap style for the faucet, but both in the box are the same.

features and performance

There’s not a lot of complexity here, which is nice. Once set up and the beer is cold enough, simply pull the handle and pour beer into your glass of choice.

The machine

The main feature here is an LCD screen that displays a few different pieces of information, starting with the temperature of the beer. You’ll see this fade as the system cools down, changing from red to green when the beer is done.

You can pour beer at a higher temperature and the machine won’t stop you, but it’s not recommended, mainly because you’re likely to get a glass of foam instead of liquid. We tried it at eight degrees (C) and that was definitely the case.

At three degrees (C) it’s still a little foamy, but not half as bad. We recommend using a lens with plenty of headroom.

If we were fussy we’d love to be able to adjust the temperature for different styles of beer, but that’s not the end of the world. However, there aren’t really styles that we’d rather drink at a warmer temperature, like stouts, that are available anyway – which is another topic.

That screen on the front also shows you how many days you have left to drink the beer, essentially a countdown from 30, as well as how much beer is left in the keg. This is shown in blocks similar to those on many modern car fuel gauges. You can take your time then, but it’s also great for parties and sporting events like the Super Bowl.

This generally works well, but we had a small issue with our second barrel where the volume bars would go down fairly quickly despite no loads being poured, then go back up a day later so it’s not 100% reliable.

The beers

Although the machine works very well, you might want to check out the selection of barrels available before spraying the crate. Note that this will not be able to accept 5 liter mini kegs that you will find in the supermarket. Instead, they are special barrels that only work in Perfect Draft.

Beer Hawk has quite a large selection of beers with a few different styles ranging from lagers to Belgian tripels. When we first reviewed the Perfect Draft in March 2019, there were 30 barrels available. If you take another look now in January 2020, there are 38 and some of them have been removed since Christmas.

The original line-up, including Leffe, Becks and Goose Island, might not be broad enough for the craft beer enthusiast out there, but for others it will be perfect. Now in 2020, names like Tiny Rebel and Thornbridge have been added, each with two casks. Seeing Jaipur in this format is great news.

However, it comes down to personal taste and opinions about breweries (there are seven variations of Leffe, for example). Although the range has grown, we’re still waiting for something darker like porter or stout to be added, which is a shame. Your only option in this area remains Leffe Brune.

The beers taste good, although one of the beers we tried – Goose Island IPA – didn’t taste like what we’re used to from bottles or on tap in bars. The flavor profile lacked a hint of hops that we would normally expect from this beer. The keg was nearing the end of its shelf life, so this will have some impact.

Verdict

It may sound a little pricey, but this is an investment type of purchase. The Perfect Draft will last much longer than your (probably even more expensive) smartphone. It’s great for parties, but can also be used for casual drinking over several days or weeks.

Overall, the machine does what it set out to do – bringing draft beer into the home easily and conveniently. We’ve only had very minor problems with how it all works.

The beer selection is good and has been improved since we first tested the machine. Names like Tiny Rebel and Thornbridge will tempt more drinkers, but we still crave something darker in the range.

What temperature is the barrel? If it’s warmer than 3 degrees, it’s flat, let the machine cool the keg a little longer, then try again

Is the glass used clean? Even invisible rinse aid residue can result in a shallow drain. Rinse your glass before pouring

Do you hold the spout of the faucet to the glass when pouring? The end of the faucet should not touch the glass and unlike in pubs, the glass should be held 10-15 cm lower than the faucet

Did you use a new tube for your keg? Dirt can result in a shallow spout. Air can escape from the round rubber seal of the dispensing unit. Dampen these before attaching them to your keg

With so many draft beer machines on the market these days, it can be a bit of a headache to choose one for your home bar! In this article we present two of the big heavyweights, namely Heineken’s Blade versus Philips Perfect Draft.

Before we continue we have to say that these two machines are really great pieces of kit and will get you quality pints right at home. You really can’t go wrong with either machine, but hopefully presenting all the facts will help you decide for yourself!

Foam isn’t a crime unless we’re talking about beer. When Kegerator beer foams, it’s difficult to enjoy the true flavor of the drink and it’s a sign that something is wrong with your draft beer system.

You need to know how to achieve and maintain a foam-free spout with any kegerator. Here are some useful tips from the Beverage Craft experts for a foam-free pour every time.

Why is beer foaming out of the kegerator?

Pouring foamy beer from the kegerator requires some investigation and determining the cause to ultimately solve the problem. Below we have listed the most common causes of foamy beer being poured out of a kegerator.

overcarbonization

One of the most common reasons for foamy draft beer is that your keg itself may be too carbonated. If you buy commercial kegs, it’s not impossible for them to be over-carbonated. This can be caused by different temperature peaks during transport and storage or by an error in the brewery.

If you’re a home brewer, leaving your keg under too much pressure for too long can also lead to over-carbonation.

Wrong temperature

The second most common reason you might notice a kegerator foaming is because of the temperature of the beer. If your beer gets too warm, foam will form as you pour. So when it hits the back of your faucet, carbon dioxide is already expanding out of solution, resulting in too much foam.

Dirty beer lines

Another reason you can get foam in your glass is because of dirty lines. Sometimes it’s due to improper cleaning, sometimes it’s because they’re too old and need to be replaced to prevent further build-up of microbes, beer scale, or other yeast-based debris.

Beer lines too long

Ideally, the length of your beer line should be between 1.50 and 1.80 m. However, certain variations may occur depending on the style of beer.

Damaged/missing probe disk

A probe disk goes around the inside of the probe going up and down. If it is missing or slightly damaged, it will cause foaming every time.

How do you reduce beer foam in a kegerator?

If this is your first time dealing with a frothy kegerator, start the troubleshooting process with the usual suspects – incorrect CO2 pressure and/or incorrect serving temperature.

Different types of beer require different CO2 pressures. Typically it should be in the 10-12 PSI range. If it’s too high, your kegerator will inevitably become too frothy. Check the pressure on your CO2 regulator to see if it’s correct for the beer you’re pouring.

The same goes for temperature – if you serve your beer too warm or too cold, it won’t do any good. Avoid frosted glasses as contact with a frozen surface will only increase the release of CO2 and therefore make Kegerator beers overly foamy.

If the CO2 pressure and temperature are okay, check your beer lines for signs of clogs, mold, or other nasty buildup. If they are indeed dirty, it’s better to replace them entirely – it’s not that expensive and should ideally be done once a year.

While you’re at it, make sure the length and diameter of your beer line is correct – a beer line should be 3/16 (the skinny type) and 5-6 feet long for most beers. For a beer like Coors Light it can be as much as 7ft.

Finally, if all of the above are done and you still don’t have an answer to the question “why is foam coming out of my kegerator?”. Question, take a closer look at the beer as it travels down the beer line. If you see a lot of tiny bubbles there, you are most likely dealing with a missing probe disk.

Whether you bought a keg for a party or are brewing your own beer at home, if you want to serve draft beer on tap, you need to find a way to keep the keg cold.

Most home brewers store their kegs in a kegerator, which is basically a refrigerator designed specifically for dispensing beer.

While kegerators are a great way to chill and serve beer at home, they’re not cheap or easy to transport. That’s why, unless you’re planning on throwing a party in your kitchen, you’ll want to know how to keep a keg cold without a kegerator.

The easiest way to keep a keg cold is to place it in a trash can filled with ice. Other popular solutions include insulated barrel jackets and jockey boxes made from repurposed picnic coolers.

How do you keep a keg cold without a kegerator?

garbage cans or plastic tubs

The cheapest way to keep a keg cold is to place it in a suitable container and cover it with ice.

Place the keg in the tub, surround it with ice and fill with cold water. You can then either connect a pressure regulator and beer lines or mount a picnic tap directly to the keg. Some people recommend adding ice to the water to lower the temperature.

The advantage of this type of installation is that suitable waste bins and tubs can be purchased cheaply in hardware stores, hardware stores, hardware stores, etc. and used for other purposes outside of beer cooling.

The container size you need depends on the size of your keg. A 19 gallon pail is large enough for a standard half keg. You can check the dimensions of common US and European keg sizes here.

Keg jackets or sleeves

A keg sleeve is an insulated shroud that insulates the keg and helps keep your beer cold. Usually made from neoprene, the better ones have internal pockets that can be filled with ice for extra cooling.

The advantage of a keg sleeve over a tub is that you can use it to keep the keg cool during transport. It also protects the interior of your car from unwanted bumps when loading and unloading the keg.

jockey box

Unlike the plastic tubs and jackets mentioned above, a jockey box doesn’t actually cool the keg itself. Instead, he chills the beer on the way from the draft to your glass.

A jockey box is basically a cooler filled with ice water with beer taps attached. Inside the cooler, beer is routed through coiled copper tubing where it is cooled before reaching the tap.

The length of the coil varies from about 50 feet to 150 feet. The longer the coil, the more efficiently it chills the beer. This is particularly important if you are serving several people in quick succession.

Custom made jockey boxes like this one from Coldbreak Brewing Equipment are available online. If you have the time and inclination for a project, several videos on YouTube show how you can build one yourself using a chiller, stainless steel beer faucets and fittings, and some copper piping.

Depending on your location, you may need to combine a jockey box with one of the other keg cooling methods above on hot days to avoid foam.

Homemade cool boxes, jockey boxes and portable bars

While researching this article, I came across several interesting solutions that people have built at home.

Make your own jockey box

There are several videos on YouTube showing how to build a jockey box. This video by Larry from Beer and Barbecue shows you how to make a two-tap jockey box out of a Coleman cooler. If you’re just taking a keg to the party, there’s another video showing its smaller, single-line setup.

Cool kegerator

For smaller barrels check out the video below from the Wild Touring channel. In the video he turns a 12v fridge into a portable kegerator, but you could do the same with a regular cooler.

The white sandy beaches and blue skies at the beginning and end of the video not only provide an excellent tutorial on how to build your own beer cooler, but will also inspire you to make it happen.

Portable pole

Finally, take a look at this genius portable bar that YouTuber Tom calls a party bar. Basically it’s a beefed up version of the classic trash can kegerator, consisting of two plastic tubs glued together in a box with a beer tap installed on top.

Tips to keep your keg cool

Whichever solution you choose, you should try to keep the keg as cool as possible from the moment it leaves the brewery until you are ready to serve the beer at your party, BBQ, wedding soccer game or whatever to serve.

Try to keep the keg in the shade and avoid leaving it in a hot car. Not only is it nearly impossible to cool down a hot keg, but it can also harm the taste of your beer. Speaking of flavor, don’t be tempted to roll the keg as it can also affect the flavor. When carrying the barrel out of your car, use the handles, have a friend help you, or use a trolley.

If you save the keg before the party, you can chill it in the fridge overnight. You may need to remove the shelves and replace the glass panel covering the salad drawer with a piece of wood for the keg to stand on.

Don’t be tempted to put the keg in a regular freezer; it’s too cold. Some home brewers convert old chest freezers into Keezers, but add an extra temperature controller like this to keep their kegs at the right temperature.

You may want to lower the temperature of your ice water by adding salt. Whether this step is actually necessary is debatable, but when chilling a keg in a trash can or tub, many people recommend adding salt to the ice water to bring the temperature down. When salt is dissolved in water, the freezing point drops several degrees. This melts more ice and further cools the water. You can find out more about the science behind it here.

I am not convinced that this is really necessary. The main cooling effect of ice is due to the heat it absorbs as it melts, not the actual temperature of the ice. Because of this, pouring drinks into frozen glasses doesn’t chill them as efficiently as adding a few ice cubes.

If you’re using a jockey box, make sure you run some beer through the lines before you fill the cooler with ice. This is to prevent any residual water remaining in the coils from freezing and possibly blocking the lines. The freezing point of beer is around -2°C (28 Fahrenheit), so it shouldn’t freeze in the lines. Ice packs sold in grocery stores are typically stored at 0°C, while ice cream taken straight from your freezer is -18°C (zero degrees Fahrenheit).

How to safely transport barrels and CO2 bottles

A standard sized semi-drum keg weighs around 170 pounds when full (77 kilos) and you don’t want it rolling around loose in your car. Tie it down securely so it won’t hurt you or other passengers if you need to brake hard or are involved in an accident. If possible, transport the barrel in an upright position.

While the soda bottle doesn’t weigh as much as the keg, it is under high pressure and should also be secured with bungee cords or straps to keep it from rolling around in the car. You should also close the main valve and remove the pressure regulator assembly before transporting the cylinder. If the regulator or any of the pressure gauges are struck and damaged, high pressure gas can force out of the cylinder.

Carbon dioxide is heavier than air, and while it’s not toxic, if the bottle leaks it will displace oxygen. Make sure the main valve is closed and disconnect the tap and lines from the keg before loading it into your car. You can use soapy water to check for gas leaks. If you get a headache or feel out of breath while driving, stop and open the doors to ventilate the vehicle thoroughly and check the CO2 cylinder.

Before transporting one or more drums, you should check whether there are any legal restrictions or requirements. For example, it may be illegal under US law to ship beer and other alcoholic beverages across state lines. In California, it is illegal to transport alcohol in a vehicle if you are under the age of 21.